Tom Grim, co-owner of Nomad Pizza, and pizza maker Chris Bryan, both from Hopewell, make pizzas during tailgate party at the Union Beach Borough Hall. / Robert Ward/Staff Photographer

Tom Grim, co-owner of Nomad Pizza, and pizza maker Chris Bryan, both from Hopewell, make pizzas during tailgate party at the Union Beach Borough Hall. / Robert Ward/Staff Photographer

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UNION BEACH — The lawn outside Borough Hall was filled with food, NFL football and volunteers Sunday, adding a patch of brightness to a disaster-stricken area.

“I wish we could do more, but it’s just (providing) a sense of normality to them,” said Marvin Hyer Jr., president of ManCave Events based in Cliffwood Beach.

Hyer said the area had been hit hard, and he wanted to help. So he parked the company’s portable tailgate on the lawn and tuned its three TVs to NFL football — giving survivors a chance to relax and enjoy, what’s for many, a Sunday ritual.

He also cooked hamburgers and hot dogs served with a side of cheese puffs and pretzels.

Hyer wasn’t alone in wanting to help. The hall was filled with people donating goods and requesting volunteer opportunities.

Jennifer Wenson Maier, borough administrator, said the outpouring of volunteers has been overwhelming and has touched her heart.

“It just seems that every time I have a need, I turn around and there’s somebody meeting it,” she said.

Erin Bijas and Chris Sullivan from Princeton Partners, a Princeton-based marketing agency, had raised funds and gathered volunteers to bring Nomad Pizza Co. to the lawn.

Nomad Pizza came from Hopewell to feed survivors and volunteers free pizza — made fresh from a wood-fired brick oven built into the truck.

“There’s a lot of people that were a lot more affected by the storm than we were, and it was an opportunity to give back to the towns we love,” Sullivan said.

Bijas wanted to help because her aunt and uncle’s house in Union Beach had been knocked off its foundation and into the middle of the road. It had to be bulldozed.

She was working to “make a positive out of a negative,” Bijas said.

And for nearby residents, this help was appreciated.

Leanne Lovall, an artist and musician who goes by LA Love, said her nearby Keyport house was submerged in water, as well as her car.

She had some pizza and was grabbing supplies, like dog food and blankets. She said these efforts were helping Sandy survivors to make lemonade out of lemons.

“It’s like a party,” she said. “It’s too bad it’s under these circumstances.”